The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-04-07
Still Agin the Railroad.

vet, Colonel McCord, let's stay in
Tennessee till it turns warmer any
way, and l think old Giles is the |
best place. In my first epistle con-
corning railroads | stated that | had
no objection to them if built by
the right ones and properly man
aged, but | thought 1t very wrong
to tax the citizens of Giles to help
to build another in their present
condition, and addaced facts suffi-
cient to sustain ne in my position
with about all unbiased citizens.
You then undertook to show that
l was opposed to railroads being
built in any way. You failed to
do that, and as you saw direct tax
alton would not do, you then seized
upon Scion E. Roses plan; to get
the county court to Issue $250,000
worth OF tive per cent. bonds to as
sist in building another railroad,
which is worse than the first propo-
sition, for if we were taxed we would
eventually drag through with it
Gas we once did) and not leave 8
bonded debt hanging over our chill
dren for them to pay. Colonel, you
almost ridicule the idea of getting
moneyed men to take stock and
build railroad like there never
had been q railroad built without
the citizens being taxed either di
rectly or indirectly to assist in it.
You convey the idea that there are
not enough wealthy men along the
anticipated railroad to build it. I'll
that be ESQ, the sroute must be
through u very poor country. Ii
you will prove TO these wealthy
men that they will get ten per cent.
on their bonds mot seventeen as
you say the present road is max
ing, and do not doubt lt) you
will have but little trouble in pro-
curing the required necessary stock
and the road will soon De IN opera
ton. The conclusion that l have
come to is that these moneyed men
are waiting for better thing, viz:
When the rail road tax receipts are
given or the county bonds issued
(if ever that they will buy them at
very low figures. If they (the
moneyed men) are waiting for that
am satisfied that they will never
succeed and they had better be
looking to some other source to in
vest their means instead of listen
ing to your air castles, for | am sat
isfied that the citizens of old Giles
will never, no never, vote another
railroad tax on themselves, or will
authorize their county court to is
sue bonds for their children to paw.
Colonel, you say that we must not
rake about in the dead embers of
the past. | think we ought to and
find out what embels burned US and
try to avoid it in the future, for if we
have any other way of judging the
future only by the past | would
ike for you to tell US what way it
is. You jump from here to Penn
sylvania to show what they have
done and what they are doing there
as proof Of your position and you
must have forgotten that have just
conveyed the idea that we must
not judge the future by the past.
Such inconsistency. You ought
(whiIe in Pennsylvania to have as
certained whether their railroads
were built by taxation, stockhold-
ers, j. Gould or Vanderbilt. Colo
mel, you have been conveying the
idea to these northern people that
they could do better here, and
persuading them to come south.
Why you certainly would not in
duce then to leave their railroads
contrary 10 their interest, would
you? o consistency, consistency!
AS you have cot in such habit of
writing one thing and meaning an
other you cannot quit it well,
therefore you are speaking ironi-
cally on the subject Of the railroads,
so we will have to excuse your pc
sition. You state that if the coun-
ty spends SIS, 900 and makes $4,000
that is doing well. | agree with
you, but that off" 1t causes me to
think of what l saw in a newspaper
not long since: One person proved
in words or on paper that if the
other would invest a small sum in
certain property that he would be
rewarded ten fold soon, but when it
was tried he came out loser
There now! He certainly did not
judge the future by the past.
AS you accused me of not argu-
ing the points, l thought l would
follow you this time and if you di-
crossed you certainly would allow
me the same privilege, therefore l
had to 60 away up into Pennsylva-
MIA among the yankees. Lets stay
in Tennessee where we are both
better known. What say you
to it? d. K. HIGDoN.
Gas was struck at a distance of
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